It seems that A Quiet Place is about to get a lot more crowded but still pretty quiet. Deadline is reporting that director Jeff Nichols has been tapped by Paramount to helm a new film in the franchise based on an original idea conceived by John Krasinski. It’s not clear how involved Krasinski will be with the film, though he wrote and directed both the first and second movies in the series.
With the second film still sitting on shelves due to the current pandemic, Paramount seems to be moving forward in turning A Quiet Place, which was a massive horror hit in 2018 and catapulted Krasinski into directorial stardom, into something much bigger than originally intended. While the plot of this third movie is strictly under wraps given a new director is being brought in, this may not be a direct sequel to the second film.
If that’s the case, Jeff Nichols is a strong selection for carrying the franchise on. His previous films — including Mud, Midnight Special, Take Shelter, and Loving — have all been emotional powerhouses and, when present, balance sci-fi/horror with grounded drama. This would be a big step forward for Nichols as, while critically acclaimed, most of his movies have been cult successes with not much widespread audience attention.
The universe of A Quiet Place definitely has room to grow, though whether or not it should is a big question. One of the strong points of the original film, which was intended as a standalone movie, was its brisk pace and lack of world-building. Instead of spending time explaining what had happened to Earth after an invasion by creatures with heightened hearing, Krasinski unfolded a family story while both ramping up the drama and horror by leaving a lot unexplained.
